Lorenzo Latorre

Lorenzo Antonio Inocencio Latorre Jampen (8 July 1844-18 January 1916) was President of Uruguay from 10 March 1876 to 14 February 1879 (succeeding Pedro Varela and preceding Francisco Antonio Vidal) and from 1 March 1879 to 15 March 1880 (interrupting Vidal's terms). He was a Colorado Party of Uruguay member.

Biography
Lorenzo Antonio Inocencio Latorre Jampen was born in Montevideo, Uruguay on 8 July 1844, and he joined the Colorado Party of Uruguay during the Uruguayan Civil War of 1863 and served in the Paraguayan War in 1866. In 1875, he was behind the coup which overthrew President Jose Eugenio Ellauri and started a period of military rule which lasted until 1890, and, after his puppet Pedro Varela proved to be unpopular, he overthrew Varela in 1876 and took power himself. He purchased new weapons from Remington and Mauser to equip the Colorados against Blanco revolts, and he abolished mandatory military service for people of color. He later expanded the railway and telegraph systems across the country with aid from Britain, and he also pursued a campaign of education reforms. In 1879, he was formally elected President, but his military-style leadership caused supporters of democracy to become disaffected with his rule, and he was forced to resign in 1880. He died in 1916.